Steaming.
When your playing poker and take a bad beat, you must do everything that you can to control your emotions!
Several weeks ago I made a normal bluff against an aggressive player. When she is in position, and the board is checked to her, she always makes a play at the pot, even when she doesn’t have the best hand. While I appreciate this tactic, knowing that she will bet in position allows me to take advantage of her aggressiveness. In this case she made a small bet into a normal sized pot. I had AQ in my hand and the flop came out JK4 rainbow. I figured that I had the best hand still, so I completed her continuation bet. The turn card was a 9. She made another bet, and at this time I knew that on the river, whatever card that came out, I was going to put in a big raise. River card was another J. She bet 100, I reraised to 500. She said she thought that I was bluffing, but she couldn’t play and folded. Normally I would not show the bluff, but in this case I knew it would aggreviate her. She went on complete tilt, and then tried to steal every big blind that I was in to get her chips back. This play cost her, as she went out a couple rounds later to me with a less than marginal hand.
Just this week, when it was heads up with myself and her husband I set trap after trap and he caught every card that he could. When he would go all in, his hands went from J4, Q3, K8 (which I don’t mind) and 106. Each time he went all in, I had either AK, AJ, K8 (had the same hand and split) and KQ. Everytime he hit either two pairs or caught the river with the worst hand. While I was mad that I couldn’t put him away, his wife said that I was on tilt. After much thought, I went back and looked at how I was playing. I know that I was mad that he kept getting lucky and playing mostly slop when going all in, but on tilt, I don’t think so. I think when your steaming you make bad decisions afterwards, and each time I doubled him up, several hands later he was on the brink of getting busted out. I ended up winning, but we split the pot.
So, if you see someone take a bad beat and notice that they are steaming what should you do? I like the approach of waiting for them to make the next mistake, and it could be right away. I good player will let it bounce off them and get back into the game. Bad beats are a part of the game, all you can do is hopefully go in with the best hand, and then it’s a lot of luck. I have said it before, but I would rather play good poker than lucky poker. People who say that poker is a lot of luck are wrong in my opinion. A good patient player that plays good cards will win more than the lucky person, but you have to wait and let them make a mistake.
If you have given that bad beat, or made a big bluff, and that person is coming after you. Let ‘em!!! That;s a mistake when there is several players at your table. Let them have your blind and when you do catch a couple cards, put in the reraise. In the case above, I noticed right away that Jane was trying to get her chips back, so I made a reraise that put all her chips in. I had 37 on this specific hand, but she had to fold. The next time around I limped in with KQ. The flop came out AKQ, and when she went all in with Ace rag, after I checked to her, I layed the wood down and won the hand and took her out of the game.
You must be able to control your emotions, and going after one person is a dumb play. Play the people on the table, not just one player who you might think your better than.
Hoping you get aces, but also hoping I’m not in the hand with you!
sc
